When it comes to blurring the boundaries between science fiction and real-world innovation, no one does it quite like Elon Musk.

But a new online rumor may have taken things to a whole new level of bizarre. According to viral speculation sweeping across online forums and social media, Musk is supposedly behind a secret project aimed at engineering a generation of ultra-intelligent children — specifically bred to lead the charge in colonizing Mars.

Dubbed the “X-AI Babies Program” by online users, the alleged initiative reads like a dystopian sci-fi plot: Musk is said to be quietly recruiting brilliant women — from AI experts and scientists to artists and engineers — to participate in a covert “genius breeding program.” The supposed objective? To raise a new breed of humans optimized for intelligence, creativity, and resilience — ideal candidates to build a future society on the Red Planet.

While there’s no concrete evidence that this project exists — and certainly no confirmation from Musk himself — the theory has ignited a frenzy of speculation and debate online. It appears to have first surfaced via anonymous posts on niche forums where futuristic speculation and conspiracy theories often take root.

Part of the reason this bizarre rumor is gaining traction is that, well… it doesn’t seem entirely impossible coming from Elon Musk. The SpaceX and Tesla CEO already has a reputation for embracing the outlandish. From sending a car into space to implanting brain chips via Neuralink, Musk’s ventures frequently challenge the limits of what’s considered plausible.

His personal life, too, fuels the fire. Musk has fathered at least 11 children with various partners — including musician Grimes and Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis — and has given some of them wildly futuristic names. His first child with Grimes, named “X Æ A-12,” was described by Musk as a potential “Mars commander” and “AI hybrid.” He’s also been outspoken about his concerns over population decline, often urging intelligent individuals to have more children for the sake of civilization’s future.

All of this gives just enough plausibility to the “X-AI Babies” theory to make it hard to dismiss out of hand.

Still, despite the sci-fi aesthetics and viral memes, the idea raises deeply troubling ethical concerns. The concept of breeding humans for intelligence and genetic potential echoes the disturbing legacy of eugenics — a movement historically linked with discriminatory and inhumane practices.

Critics have slammed the notion, saying even the idea — real or imagined — reflects a dangerous trend in techno-elitist thinking. “Encouraging smart people to have kids is one thing,” a bioethicist remarked on X (formerly Twitter). “Creating a curated human gene pool starts to sound like something out of a sci-fi horror film.”

Others argue that if Musk were actually behind such a plan, it might simply be in line with his larger mission: to ensure human survival by creating a Mars-ready civilization. In this narrative, these hypothetical children wouldn’t just be genetically gifted — they’d be rigorously trained from birth to become the architects of a future interplanetary society.

As strange as it sounds, Musk’s past behavior has primed the public to believe anything might be possible. After all, he’s the guy who built flamethrowers for fun and is trying to connect human minds directly to computers. An off-the-grid program to create “optimized humans”? For Musk, it wouldn’t be out of character.

The internet’s reaction has ranged from hysterical laughter to genuine alarm. One viral meme shows Musk in a sleek lab, cradling neon-lit baby pods labeled “Gen Alpha: Mars Edition.” Another user quipped, “Forget dating apps — Elon’s starting a new generation with rocket-fueled DNA.”

Others are calling for serious scrutiny, demanding transparency if there’s any truth to the whispers. “Even if it’s just internet folklore, it shows how uneasy people are about billionaires and bioengineering,” one Reddit user observed.

At the time of writing, Elon Musk has remained silent about the rumor. Whether he finds it too absurd to address, or plans to poke fun with a meme of his own, is anyone’s guess. Given his flair for chaos and trolling, a cryptic tweet could be just around the corner.

For now, the story remains unverified — a digital campfire tale about a tech mogul possibly reshaping humanity, one baby at a time. Whether it’s fiction or a peek behind the curtain of future ambitions, the rumor speaks to something real: our growing tendency to mythologize tech leaders as not just inventors, but architects of destiny.

As we keep watching the skies for rockets and the headlines for clues, one thing is certain — when it comes to Elon Musk, the line between visionary and sci-fi villain will always be just a little bit blurry.